Chapter Text
The black and red Harley Davidson 750 roared down Highway 50 in the dead of night headed towards Fallon, Nevada. Its lone rider was dressed in all black leathers; a suitable color choice, if not material, for attending a funeral, which was exactly how the rider felt about their destination. They were headed to the end. The end of a career; the end of who they were. Her career in the military wasn’t just a job, it was a way of life. It was the only life the motorcyclist had ever wanted. And now that life was being taken away.
The lights of the base’s runway came into view and rubber burned against the asphalt as the brakes were suddenly applied and the motorcycle slid to a controlled stop. Its rider ripped off her black helmet and took in a shuddering breath of hot, dry desert air. She dropped the kickstand and slid off the bike, dropping her helmet onto the seat as she straightened her back, cracking her spine and then her neck. It had been a long ride and as she was constantly being reminded, she wasn’t getting any younger.
U.S. Naval Aviator Captain Regina Mills, call sign Queen, stared at the distant runway. The lights flickered and blurred together in the desert heat, a fitting metaphor for her life in the Navy. So many years of service blurring together until they finally began to flicker out. This was the beginning of the end for her; she knew it. Her last post. They wanted to wring the last bit of usefulness out of her before they took away the only thing she knew how to be – a fighter pilot.
She couldn’t believe that after fifteen years she was back at TOPGUN school.
As an instructor.
“Fuck me.”
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Regina wouldn’t say that she had been welcomed back with open arms; it had been more like passive hostility. The admiral in charge of the school, call sign Charming, had been a classmate, and while she had turned down promotions, he had excelled at climbing the ranks. They both knew Regina was the better pilot. She’d shot his ass down in every simulated dogfight they’d had against each other, and she had shot him down at the bar, in front of his friends, when he tried to prove his dick was better than his skills in the cockpit.
His executive officer, call sign Lancelot, had been his wingman both on the ground and at the bar; he’d fared no better with Regina. He made it clear that she was not their choice to be an instructor; they were simply following orders.
At least, they all had that in common.
Her first rotation of students were due to report the following day. A dozen hot shot lieutenants that were currently ranked as the best in the Navy. They would be cocky as hell, arrogant, and too impressed with themselves to believe anyone could teach them something they didn’t already know.
Lord knows, Regina had felt that way when she waltzed through those doors for the first time. All confidence, swagger, and attitude.
Admittedly, she hadn’t changed much.
Thankfully, neither had Emma Swan.
Regina sat in a back corner booth of the local bar. When she’d been a student in TOPGUN, the bar had been a complete shithole, one incident away from being listed as off limits for base personnel; Regina had loved it. It’s where she had first made out with the blonde she now watched working behind the bar, and if the name of the bar was a clue, the blonde now owned it.
The Swan Dive was now a well-lit bar with a cherry wood centerpiece, several high-top tables scattered about, and a few booths along the far wall. There was a pool table, dart board, and a dance floor situated in front of a small stage that had an upright piano pushed up against the back wall. Everything any active-duty service member could want.
Emma hadn’t noticed her yet and Regina considered that a blessing. In the cockpit of a fighter jet, Regina’s confidence was unmatched, but when it came to matters of the heart, her confidence was rather ordinary and possibly bordering on insecure. One-night stands and a few recurring characters of similar interest were more Regina’s style.
Emma, however, was the exception. She was the only one that Regina had ever held in her heart.
And she was the one that got away.
‘Got away’ was a nice euphemism, if inaccurate, considering Emma was still living in the same town where Regina had met her, and it was Regina that had tucked tail and accepted every assignment that would fly her as far away from Emma Swan as she could possibly go. Regina had always blamed it on orders and Emma had always allowed the excuse, given her that sweet, sad smile that said she knew better before telling Regina to stay safe and let her know when she was back in town.
There was a clink of glasses as a teenage kid bussed the nearby tables, drawing Regina’s attention away from the blonde behind the bar. He had dark brown hair that flopped into his eyes and looked too young to be officially working in a bar. He smirked at Regina, making her harden her posture.
“She’s got rules, you know,” he said conversationally, looking pointedly towards the bar area. “If you hit on her, you have to buy the entire bar a round.” He set out a fresh set of salt and pepper shakers on the table he was at. “And on a night like tonight, that could get pretty expensive.”
While Regina found it rather presumptuous of him to assume her intentions, she was amused at Emma’s rule. “What’s tonight?”
“There’s a new class of pilots coming in. They’ll all meet here and sniff around each other and posture to see who’s the alpha.” He wiped his hands on a towel over his shoulder before stuffing napkins into the table dispensers. “All the locals know if they show up tonight, they’ll probably get two or three rounds for free before everyone learns her rules.”
Regina laughed at the apt description of pilots jockeying around each other. “She has more than one rule?” The kid nodded. “What are the other rules?”
He smirked again and tossed his towel into his bin. “You’ll find out.” He picked up the bin, done with resetting the tables. “But I’ll give you one more piece of advice.”
“Oh?” Regina couldn’t wait to hear what this kid thought he could tell her.
He looked her over, clearly not lacking in confidence. “She doesn’t go home with pilots which means you’re shit out of luck.”
Regina couldn’t decide if she was offended or highly amused. She did know she wanted to knock the kid down a peg or two. Emma had certainly gone home with her a time or five. “That wasn’t always the case.”
“No shit,” he deadpanned. “She learns from her mistakes. Why do you think it became a rule?” He turned to leave. “Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out, your Majesty.”
Regina choked on her drink and grabbed for her napkin as her eyes began to water. By the time she looked up again, the kid was gone. Her heart thundered in her chest. “Henry.”
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Regina stayed in her booth and watched her soon-to-be students arriving as she nursed a beer. Henry passed nearby a few times, scowling at her, but they didn’t speak again. She admitted to herself that she was a bit shaken, not recognizing Emma’s young son as a young man; a young man that clearly didn’t think too much of her anymore. There’d been a time when he’d idolized her, but that time had probably ended as she’d left town that last time. As the night went on, she’d seen him behind the bar with his mother which meant Emma knew she was there, but the blonde didn’t acknowledge her.
Her students took no notice of her either which was the idea. They postured around each other, much as Henry had claimed they would, and she was able to pick out the true leaders easily. Two rounds for the bar had already been bought by the new students breaking Emma’s rules, one of which Regina surmised was not putting your cell phone on Emma’s precious bar top. After a couple of hours, Regina left having learned what she wanted to know and leaving a large tip with no expectations it would improve Henry’s opinion of her.
Still feeling unsettled, she went for a ride instead of heading back to base and her single room at the base hotel. She rode for hours; the tires underneath her eating up pavement as her mind ran through scenarios and tricks she could use to keep herself ahead of the young up-and-coming pilots. She easily had hundreds of hours more in the cockpit than any of them, but young pups would always challenge to be lead dog. She had to stay ahead of them.
When she stopped on her way back to the base to gas up her bike, she was surprised to see another bike there waiting. The rider didn’t take off their helmet, but Regina would recognize that red leather jacket anywhere. When the rider cocked their head in challenge, Regina immediately agreed.
They stayed together at first, riding side-by-side as they drove back out of town, both knowing exactly where they were headed. When they reached the last four-way stop before the highway stretched out for fifteen miles of nothing but desert, they silently gauged each other. Regina nodded and then on a silent count, they both blasted off from the line.
They raced down the lonely stretch of highway, taking up both lanes, engines screaming. Fifteen miles passed in the blink of an eye with Regina falling slightly behind the other rider as they crossed into the next jurisdiction and throttled down. They pulled into the parking lot of an abandoned roadside diner and Regina killed her engine before taking off her helmet.
Pulling up next to her, the other driver did the same, shaking out her blonde hair and setting her helmet down in front of her. Emma was breathing hard as she dismounted her bike. She took a few steps towards the road and looked back the way they’d come. “Fuck, I haven’t done that in a long time.”
Regina moved to stand beside her, staring into the darkness. “I guess I owe you breakfast.”
Emma grinned and finally turned to face her, but she immediately held up a hand. “Just. Breakfast.”
Because usually when they rode together like this, they fell into bed with each other, and breakfast came after. Regina felt a pang of disappointment; Emma standing there in leather riding pants would make anyone hopeful, but she was relieved the woman even deigned to speak to her. “I know a place a few miles from here.”
Emma laughed, “No, you don’t. That place closed down two years ago.” She walked back towards her bike. “Come on, I’ll take you somewhere that has great pancakes.”
“If we’re headed back to town, double or nothing?” Regina tried.
“Nah.” Emma threw her leg over her bike, settling back onto the seat. “When Henry finds out I raced you once, he’ll kill you. Twice and he’ll kill me…then you again.”
“So, maybe don’t tell him?” Regina suggested, standing between the two bikes.
“He’ll know.” She put her helmet on and flipped up the visor. “It’s good to see you, Regina.”
Regina swallowed tightly. “Good to see you too, Swan.”
The blonde smirked. “Try and keep up.” She flipped down her visor and peeled out of the parking lot.
Regina swore as rocks struck her shins and she had to hustle as the red taillight faded in the distance.
The ride back was uneventful and calm compared to their drive out. Emma led them past the base, headed for the suburbs and into a quiet cul-de-sac where she cut her engine and coasted into a driveway. Regina parked behind her, warily eyeing the cute home, complete with a wooden signpost staked in the overgrown flower bed that said ‘Swan Residence’; it was painted white in the shape of a swan.
Regina pointed at it. “Cute.”
“Huh? Oh.” Emma glanced at it, then shrugged. “One of Henry’s shop class projects.” She ran her hand through her hair and fidgeted with her keys. “So, uh, this is my home.”
Regina nodded, not missing how nervous Emma suddenly seemed. “A place with great pancakes?”
“Yeah, uhm,” Emma rubbed the back of her neck, “I’m not sure how he’s going to feel about seeing you here.”
He. Regina’s feeble hope plummeted. Henry hadn’t mentioned a man in Emma’s life, but she should have known. Emma was too good to stay single, waiting around for Regina to finally have her wings clipped. She nodded, jerkily. “This was probably a bad idea,” she offered, back pedaling while offering Emma an out. “We can do it some other time.”
“What?” Emma’s head jerked up. “No, I mean, it’s all right. I just wanted to give you a heads up before you saw him again.” She gave Regina a crooked smile. “He’s not exactly the easily impressed ten-year-old you last knew.”
Regina frowned. “Wait, are you talking about Henry?”
“Well, yeah.” It was Emma’s turn to frown. “Who did you think I was talking about?”
Regina couldn’t quite form words and just managed to shake her head and mutter, “No one.”
Emma stared at her for a moment then began to grin. “You thought I had a boyfriend.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yeah, you did,” Emma laughed and headed for the door. “Just keep it down. Henry’s a teenager and sleeps like the dead, but he’ll probably smell food and come down. If he does, you’re on your own.”
Regina trailed after her. “He already saw me at the bar.” When Emma hesitated, Regina surmised, “He didn’t tell you.”
“That little shit.” Emma finished kicking her shoes off and moved further into the house. She gestured towards the kitchen. “Make yourself at home. I’m just going to check on him; I’ll be right back.”
Regina shed the jacket she wore while riding, hanging it on the back of a chair at the kitchen table. The house was new since the last time she’d been in town. Emma had moved on from apartment living while Regina still rented a room on base rather than commit to a lease. Rather than think too long on the messy state of her personal affairs, Regina looked at the framed pictures scattered along any surface that had room.
The buffet was anchored by two lamps but three frames filled up the center. All three pictures were of Emma and Henry standing back-to-back against each other. The one on the left had a very young Henry with his head barely reaching Emma’s waist. The one on the right showed Henry was almost as tall as Emma; his face was still full of the young boy, but he stood only a few inches shorter than the blonde. Regina picked up the middle frame; it had to be a recent photo and Henry was taller than his mother by an inch.
“Had that taken two months ago if you can believe it,” Emma said, looking fondly at the picture as Regina put it back in its place. “Trying to keep that kid in shoes that fit has been a drain on the wallet.” She walked past. “Come on, I’ll make you breakfast.”
“It’s three in the morning,” Regina argued half-heartedly even as she followed. “And I believe I owe you.”
“You can do the cleanup, and I keep weird hours,” Emma said, opening the fridge and pulling out eggs and bacon. “I’ll go to bed after Henry leaves for school. What about you?”
“What about me?”
Emma looked over the fridge door. “You sleeping these days or still a vampire?”
“My fangs stay sharp.” She rarely slept more than three hours a night. Emma was one of the only people that had ever noticed. “I’m surprised Henry didn’t tell you I was at the bar.”
“I clocked you as soon as you walked in,” Emma said dismissively as she took out two pans and began cracking eggs. “You didn’t approach the bar; I figured you weren’t there for me.”
Regina shifted in her seat. “I wasn’t not there for you.”
Emma scoffed. “I’m not mad about it, Reg.” With the food cooking, she pulled down two glasses and returned to the fridge for a bottle of juice. “It was a surprise to see you walk through the doors, but not necessarily an unpleasant one.”
Regina accepted the orange juice and clinked her glass against Emma’s. “Not necessarily?”
“That depends.” Emma shrugged and returned to the food. “You going to stick around this time or fly away the first chance you get?” She held up a hand. “Wait, don’t answer that. I probably don’t want to know.” She flipped the bacon. “How long are you here for?”
“Two years, at least.” That would put her past her twenty years in service. She caught the quick cut of Emma’s eyes to her. “They pulled me back to be an instructor. After that, they’ll probably retire me rather than let me return to the fleet.”
Emma didn’t say anything; she just dished up two plates of food, set them on the counter, and grabbed some silverware. She forked up some eggs and asked, “Then what?”
Wasn’t that the million-dollar question? Regina snapped off a piece of bacon with her teeth and scooped up some eggs on her fork. “You still make a good breakfast, Swan.”